Home garden project in East

by Rohana JAYALAL

The Ministry of Nation Building in collaboration with the Eastern Provincial Council will launch a pilot project to grow chillies, green gram, soya, onions, kurakkan and undu in home gardens in the Eastern Province, said Minister of Nation Building Susantha Punchinilame.

The program would be started during the next Maha Season with the participation of 30,000 families.

According to Minister Punchinilame, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Samurdhi Authority would assist the Ministry of Nation Building in this project and provide seeds and organic fertiliser and also assist in land preparation for cultivation if necessary.

Each family would be given eight country hens and two cockerels to encourage the backyard poultry industry which would enable farmers' families to improve their nutrition level.

According to the Minister, this cultivation project would help farmers' families in the East as well as in other parts of the country to reduce imports of agricultural produce in the future, as suggested in the 2009 Budget.